That mystery group that we wrote about last July – Coalition for Louisiana Progress, Inc. – will put in an appearance in Northeast Louisiana this week, and is a little bit less mysterious than it was then.
Monroe area news media are hooking up with the group for the Tuesday night forum.
Higher Education Forum Next Week
Louisiana Progress to co-sponsor education forum
The secrecy was lifted a bit, with the group listing the Board of Directors on their website.
The Chairman is Darrell Hunt, a long-time Democrat Party political operative and lobbyist.
The group’s Executive Director is Melissa Flournoy, a former Democrat state legislator from the Shreveport area. She also appears to be a political operative/lobbyist, judging from the groups she’s affiliated with.
Which touches on the unknown factors surrounding the group – specifically, who funds them, and how is their money spent.
As a federally recognized public charity, the group is required to file a public tax return, form 990.
However, the group claims to have raised no more than $50 thousand in 2010, and $25 thousand in 2009. That enables them to get away with filing a 990-N, an e-postcard return, with no information at all on where their money comes from or where it goes to.
See the documents:
Their website is full of rhetoric about “following the money” regarding cuts to education and other government spending.
How about some disclosure from Coalition for Louisiana Progress? And how about a little investigative reporting from the “real news media” before you all hook up with groups that are a front for lobbyists?
